Program Particulars
*Times indicated refer to web version of audio

(01:51–03:22) Music Element
"The Multiples of One"
from Awakening,
performed by Joseph Curiale

(01:04) Greed and Materialism as a Moral Values Crisis
Zogby International conducted exit poll surveys during the 2004 and 2006 elections in the United States. Pollsters asked the question: "What is the most urgent moral crisis in American culture?" One-third of 2004 voters identified greed and materialism as the most urgent moral crisis — ahead of poverty and economic justice, abortion, and gay marriage. In 2006, more than 25 percent of voters chose it as the second-most urgent moral issue facing the country.

(02:00) Great Creeds of Christianity
For a more in-depth perspective on the role of creeds within Christian and other world traditions, check out the SOF program, "The Need for Creeds." Here, you can listen to Krista's conversation with Jaroslav Pelikan, the world's foremost scholar on creeds, and read some of the creeds from Africa and Western Europe.

(02:15) Students and Credit
There are several excellent sites containing statistics and analysis of credit card debt among college students and teenagers. Two particularly interesting sites are the Project on Student Debt, which contains an excellent map of the average debt of graduating college seniors by state, and the USA Today/ABC News series "Young and in Debt", which provides some helpful infographics detailing the financial problems facing young Americans.

(02:20) Debt During the Holidays
In a report on its annual holiday spending survey, the chief economist of the Credit Union National Association, Bill Hampel, said: "Our experience with this survey is consumers tend to say they will spend less than they actually do, and our overall survey findings are slightly weaker than last year. This suggests many households will feel financially 'hung over' in a couple of months unless they do something about it now."

Within the U.S., the day after Thanksgiving is referred to as "Black Friday" — a day when many people start their holiday shopping because of the day off. The moniker is a retail industry phrase purportedly used because many retailers' accounting books transition from the negative (red ink) to the positive (black ink).

Although it's thought to be the busiest shopping day of the year, it's not the most profitable; that day is usually reserved for last-minute shoppers on the Saturday before Christmas. In response to what some feel is consumerism at its worst, groups have organized "Buy Nothing Days" when participants do not purchase anything for 24 hours.

(03:17–03:57) Music Element
"Omnibus"
from Dutch Jazz 2005,
performed by Glerum Omnibus

(03:49) Dungan's System for Financial Planning
Dungan's organization, Share-Save-Spend, is named after his philosophy and framework. Its mission is helping youth and adults achieve financial sanity by developing and maintaining healthy financial habits.

(04:10) Debt Outpaced Personal Savings Rate
In 2005, debt outpaced the personal savings rate for U.S. households for the first time since the Great Depression of the 1930s. [View a chart tracing history of personal saving.]

(06:50) Dungan's Sermon in Indianapolis
Nathan Dungan recently addressed the congregation of Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis. In his sermon, he asked: "So, if Jesus were here today, what might His reaction be to our insatiable consumer appetites that so define who we are? What might His reaction be to the myriad of mediums we have for purchasing more stuff? If Jesus were here today, what grade would He give the church for responding to the tidal wave of consumption that now overwhelms His birthday every December?"

(07:11) Frog in a Boiling Pot of Water
The metaphor of the frog in a boiling pot of water is an urban legend. The scenario posits that if a frog is placed in a pot of cool water and the heat is gradually increased, the frog will not notice because it is cold-blooded. It's circulatory system adjusts to it's surrounding environment and can't detect the temperature variation. Consequently, the frog will not try to escape its environs and will slowly boil to death.

(08:26–10:40) Music Element
"Nothing Really Blue"
from Concert Program,
performed by Penguin Cafe Orchestra

(08:56) Reading from Needleman's Money and the Meaning of Life
In the introduction to his 1991 book, Money and the Meaning of Life, the philosopher Jacob Needleman writes about the role of money in a person's search for meaning and how money can trap us or liberate us:

I remember some conversations about money that also involved the businessman whose advice I quoted at the beginning of this introduction. The setting was a conference I had helped to organize in Madison, Wisconsin about 15 years ago. He had eagerly accepted my invitation to join a panel of distinguished scholars, religious leaders, and local civic and government officials on the theme "Money, Power, and the Human Spirit."

In fact, he spoke very little during the three days, but when he did speak, there was such a remarkable evenness and authority in his words that invariably a special atmosphere of listening prevailed. Yet the things he said seemed more often than not slightly baffling to the panelists.

"I was thinking," he said at one point. "It's a real question for me. Is there a way of looking at money, of educating myself, and educating our children to look at money so that it is actually not dirty, so that it is a unifying factor in every scale, in every sense? Or is money only a problem? Money is dealt with by economics. That's treating money as a problem. But is there a way of reconciling ourselves to money, so that we actually discover an attitude, an idea with which one can approach money, educate people to approach money, in a way that gives it a place in the life around us as a unifying influence? That, to me, is the question."

At another point, several of the panelists had been excoriating the rich as greedy and selfish, and condemning the American economic system for making wage slaves out of everyone, including teachers of young people, forcing them to sell out their ideals.

Addressing the most vocal of these, he broke in: "Could I probe you about that—because I am very moved by your concern for the materially poor people. Is it impossible that you would be concerned for the spiritually poor people who have a lot of money? Because if you could get some of them on your side they might be able to help you accomplish what you have to do."

This was met with sarcasm: "Tactically, I wouldn't bother with them!"

With the slightest shade of impatience in his voice, he replied: "I have been listening with good humor to the categorization of all rich people as being completely selfish and unintelligent. But, in fact, it takes a lot of character, a lot of imagination, a lot of determination to build a large fortune. It's not that easy. True, it is just money, but to work at it day after day in the changing, stormy, difficult economic climate we have—it's not that easy. You have got to allow that somebody who gets to the top of Continental Bank, or whatever, cannot be totally and hopelessly unintelligent.

"I think there are exceptions in all classes. There are morons among the poor and among the rich. Yet it seems that one needs to enlist the help of the privileged class in order to get anything done, even spiritually. It seems very odd, but even in the spiritual realm, money really does seem to help. I am being rather practical and this is the nub of my interest. It is very good to say that one should be poorer, but money seems to help."

(14:25) Children and Giving
Janet Bodnar of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine writes a weekly column online that answers questions parents and children are having about money. Her column "Money-Smart Kids" is incisive, conversational, and best of all, it's easy to understand — she is a mother of three children. A two-part series relevant to the matter of children and charity that's well worth reading is "Teaching Kids the Value of Giving" and "The Value of Giving, Part II."

(15:16–15:53) Music Element
"Angle Wangle"
from Concert Program,
performed by Pete Whitman Quintet

(23:02–23:32) Music Element
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
from Dutch Jazz 2005,
performed by Gezz

(23:43) Mennonite Tradition of Service
Mennonites belong to the Protestant community and are part of a larger Christian expression of Anabaptism. Meaning "baptized again," the Anabaptists were a radical reform movement during the Reformation of the 1500s. Although the Mennonite Church traces its origins to the Swiss Brethren, they take their name from a Dutch priest, Menno Simons (1496–1561), who took a moderate approach to Anabaptist teachings and doctrine.

Mennonites place emphasis on the Scriptures as the ultimate authority of faith. Baptism centers on a public confession of faith, which means a conscious decision to commit one's life to God and Jesus Christ. The Mennonite Church refers to itself as a "missional church" called by God to bear witness to one's neighbors across the street and around the world. They are deeply involved in social and educational issues, economic matters, and the importance of community. The ethic of love and nonresistance — a teaching based on the New Testament that rejects both war and the use of force to maintain order — is central to most Mennonites.

(26:09) The Jeremiah Program
The Jeremiah Program in Minneapolis, Minnesota provides housing for single mothers who are enrolled in school with the goal of becoming economically independent. Residents also work part time and participate in life skills education. While living at Jeremiah, women build fiscal management skills and work on development plans to achieve academic, work, parenting, and life goals.

(26:50) Marketing Messages to Children
The Web site New American Dream provides statistics and facts about marketing tactics aimed at children. It also provides tips on what to say to children and discussion boards.

(27:17–30:21) Music Element
"Frozen"
from Belladonna,
performed by Daniel Lanois

(30:50–31:30) Music Element
"Agave"
from Belladonna,
performed by Daniel Lanois

(31:40) Jackson Lears' Article
Krista cites an article by Jackson Lears in the June 11, 2006 edition of The New York Times titled "The American Way of Debt":

…for many borrowers, debt has not been just about keeping up appearances. Less-affluent Americans have resorted to borrowing for groceries as well as cars. Public policies have intensified their plight. The freezing of the minimum wage, the tightening of unemployment insurance and workmen's compensation programs, the shifting of the tax burden from the rich to the rest — these changes have starved public services while leaving ordinary Americans more dependent than ever on debt. One of the most consistent statistical findings of recent years is that about half of all personal bankruptcies have been caused by medical bills. Whatever else our current indebtedness may signify, it is hardly a riot of hedonism.

This article is part of a special issue of The New York Times Magazine covering personal debt in the United States.

(34:37) YouthCARE
YouthCARE (Cultural Appreciation and Racial Equality) is a non-profit group in Minneapolis whose mission is to "promote respect for self and others, develop future leaders, and provide youth with positive multicultural activities and relationships with caring adults."

(35:36) Volunteering Hits a 30-Year High
A recent study done by the Corporation for National and Community Service has found that volunteerism has increased 32% over the past two decades.

(36:50) Harvard Study on Me-to-We Generation
Krista cites Harvard University's Institute of Politics study on politics and public service in youth aged 18 to 24 years. You can read the executive summary or opt for the detailed results of the survey. Two relevant findings revealed that religion is playing a growing importance in young adults' lives and that community service is a preferred way of solving major problems in the United States.

Robert Siegel of NPR's All Things Considered spoke with Jeanne Shaheen, the director of the Harvard Institute of Politics, about this study and the We generation.

(38:59–40:33) Music Element
"Zwielicht (Twilight)"
from A Fine Line: Arias and Lieder,
performed by Don Byron

(39:38) Concept of Socially Responsible Investing
Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is the practice of integrating personal values and societal concerns with investment decisions. There are varying opinions on what qualifies as socially responsible. It's frequently viewed as sacrificing financial return for doing good, yet interest in SRI has grown significantly since the early 1990s.

According to the industry group Social Investment Forum, nearly one out of every 10 dollars under professional management in the United States is involved in socially responsible investing, and SRI assets rose from $639 billion in 1995 to $2.29 trillion in 2005. In a Seattle Weekly article (January 2005), former Microsoft employee Jeff Reifman describes his journey to being a more thoughtful investor through SRIs and his strategies for socially responsible investing. In "Investing for Change," Reifman writes:

It might seem unfair for me to suggest that others invest their money more responsibly, having already made a fortune at Microsoft, a company whose ethical practices I now reject. But I found no evidence that investing more thoughtfully involves more risk than mainstream investments. In fact, socially responsible investing might decrease long-term risk while strengthening communities.

(42:40) Disney's Marketing Via Cell Phone
The Walt Disney Company launched a cell phone service aimed at pre-teenage children. It's called Disney Mobile. The Wall Street Journal quipped: "…the phones and service will carry the Disney brand and be sold by Disney. … Disney says its service will be solely aimed at the needs of the family. It therefore could be the first to appeal to children, potentially pressuring parents to pick a carrier based on the desires of their children." A business ethics consulting firm called Disney's decision "out of whack" and an ethical misstep for two reasons:

First, Disney should be more careful about the health of kids than any other U.S. company, because parents are going to trust Disney. Parents might legitimately be inclined to pass on buying cell phones for their children because of their own reservations about health issues, but if Disney is pushing them, they might well be persuaded otherwise: Disney would never take a risk with children's welfare, even a tiny risk…at least, that's what we've been conditioned to believe after decades of Uncle Walt and Jiminy Cricket and Mary Poppins. If there's any legitimate question about the risks to children at all, this is one company that shouldn't be calculating the angles too finely.

Does that mean that, given the state of research, it would be more ethical for, for instance, General Electric to launch a kid's cell phone line than for Disney to do the same? Yes. Especially because of the second reason: this isn't an essential product. I can see the possible uses; heck, I've given a seven year-old my own cell phone when I wanted to be able to contact him (he lost it, of course…and don't think the Disney folks haven't factored that into their equation). But for a company to be willing to promote a product that has even a smidgeon of a chance of hurting a child, that product had better solve a major problem or address a critical need. This product doesn't. The major need this product addresses is Disney's need to make money.

(46:15–46:36) Music Element
"Reach Out I'll Be There"
from A Fine Line: Arias and Lieder,
performed by Don Byron

(47:33–48:36) Music Element
"Nothing Really Blue"
from Concert Program,
performed by Penguin Cafe Orchestra

(48:20) Citation from Wuthnow's God and Mammon in America
Krista quotes several passages from Robert Wuthnow's 1994 book, God and Mammon in America (for those who don't know the definition of "mammon" — like our online editor — it means "wealth regarded as an evil influence") — a book that Dungan says was influential in his approach to personal finance:

Our moment in history, then, is a time of growing uncertainty, of great personal challenges, and of urgent need. Despite the material prosperity our nation has enjoyed, we are now at a turning point when we need to think more deeply about our priorities. We are concerned about the materialism that surrounds us and the acquisitive values that are being communicated to our children. Our attitudes toward work and money have become more ambiguous as personal commitments and the daily pressures we experience are forcing us to think harder about what we want and how to achieve our goals. Many of us realize we cannot save ourselves through better economic programs, legislation, or inventing new technologies alone. Our problems as a nation are spiritual as well as material. We must take stock of what our spiritual heritage is telling us and of how we are being instructed by its counsel.

… We may not be able to effect sweeping changes in our society, but we can do more than simply affirm the way things are. We can do this by joining with others — in churches, synagogues, civic associations, and small groups — to reflect on our priorities, to talk about the difficulties we face in our work and our spending, and to bring spiritual values to bear on these issues.

(50:23–52:27) Music Element
"T 4.2"
from East Meets East,
performed by Nigel Kennedy and the Kroke Band